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Sterling Township vs Bruce

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (85.8× in Bruce) and home values (4.9× in Sterling Township).

S ×
Sterling Township, SDA small town of 345Brookings County · 345 people
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Bruce, SDA small town of 290South Dakota · 290 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Sterling TownshipA small town of 345
Quiet strengthsSterling Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sterling Township →
BruceA small town of 290
Quiet strengthsBruce doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bruce →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid85.8×
Bruce has the more walkable street grid
Bruce 112Sterling Township 1.3
Home values4.9×
Homes cost more in Sterling Township
Sterling Township $558,800Bruce $114,100
Jobs per worker10.3×
Bruce is more of a job hub
Bruce 0.41Sterling Township 0.04
Trails8.5×
Sterling Township has more miles of trail
Sterling Township 1.7 miBruce 0.2 mi
Household income2.6×
Households in Sterling Township earn more
Sterling Township $144,318Bruce $55,000
Property tax bill2.4×
Tax bills are bigger in Sterling Township
Sterling Township $4,133Bruce $1,750
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Sterling Township

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Sterling Township$3,270/mo
Typical home $559K (Census) · tax rate 0.74% · Housing →
Bruce$2,390/mo
Typical home $366K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $692/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,700 a year, between Sterling Township and Bruce.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Sterling Township and Bruce share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Sterling TownshipBruceSterling TownshipBruce
Sterling Township ↔ Bruce4.2 miles apart · They share a border
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Sterling TownshipBruce
Snow a year36″36″
January low4°F4°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th57th
Outdoors & history
Sterling TownshipBruce
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land1.3%—
National Register places21
Archive photos—2
Community
Sterling TownshipBruce
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Sterling TownshipBruce
People
Population 345Highest 290Lowest
Median age 51.5±6.5Highest 36% above SD 38.7±6.9Lowest about the SD average
Sterling Township and Bruce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.3%±21.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 31.4%±9.5Highest SD: 24.2%
Bruce and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±12.5Lowest SD: 18% 17.2%±8Highest SD: 18%
Bruce and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.5%Lowest SD: 31.9% 25.4%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±5.5Highest SD: 5% 2.1%±4.1Lowest SD: 5%
Sterling Township and Bruce are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $144,318±$8kHighest 92% above SD $55,000±$28kLowest 27% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $558,800±$186kHighest 117% above SD $114,100±$53kLowest 56% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $692±$258 27% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,133Highest 52% above SD $1,750Lowest 36% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 44%±69.6 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 6.2%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest SD: 68.6% 77.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2011Highest 31 yrs newer than SD 1940Lowest 40 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 10% below SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 5.1%±7.6Lowest SD: 9.7% 11.6%±10Highest SD: 9.7%
Bruce and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 11.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.04Lowest 0.41Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (46%)Brookings (45%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BruceFew work in Sterling Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.7 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Lowest 112Highest
South Dakota average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Sterling Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sterling Township’s Town Square.

Bruce neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bruce’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sterling Township and Bruce

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Bordering Sterling Township

B
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Brookings Township617 people · $289K homes
A
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Afton Township129 people · $321K homes
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Oakwood Township246 people · $281K homes
E
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Eureka Township82 people · $434K homes

Towns like Sterling Township

+ Compare
Canton Township514 people · $509K homes
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Fuller Township245 people · $278K homes
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La Valley Township498 people · $495K homes
L
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Lamro Township286 people · $231K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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